Tender Again
by Kievan Rus' Supernova
Summary: Sirius and Severus find their tenderness again, years later and after a few explanations. Can be read alone, but is the sequal to Tender With an Unwanted Presence and Intermission Sirius/Severus SB/SS Slash AU-ish


**A/N: I need to just relieve some writer's block and thought a one-shot would do it! Hope you like.**

**A/N 2: This is actually a sequel to my stories Tender With an Unwanted Presence and Intermission….I think it can be read alone though. This does take place mid-Goblet of Fire…A big time jump…I like it though.**

**Warnings: Slash, AU (Obviously, he never fell in love with Lily), Some OOC (To be expected when writing Sirius/Severus), Kissing**

Sirius sat in the window seat in his room, the faded cloth under his smoothing hands rough, watching as the world passed him by. He saw a mother leading two small children across the street, the kids looking more like small, colorful marshmallows than little humans. Their cheerful, flushed faces forced a pang of…_something_ painful through his chest. He looked at his own reflection in the glass and was disgusted by what he saw.

The once silky and shiny black hair was now dull and matted from lack of proper care. His blue eyes were glazed and distanced. His skin, while naturally tan, had a sickly pallor. His cheeks were sunken and thin, looking like he hadn't eaten in weeks. He turned his eyes away quickly and focused his sights on the snow swirling lazily outside. _I wish I was snow,_ his mind whispered guiltily. _It's so free and lovely…nobody hates snow…not even Severus I think._ He tried to quickly turn his thoughts from his lost lover, but they were like a rampaging hippogriff…they couldn't be stopped.

Sirius had seen Severus around Grimmauld Place a handful of times. The taller man always seemed to be in a hurry, so Sirius never stopped him. At least, that's the excuse Sirius told himself each time he saw the dark man. In truth, Sirius was scared. He was scared of the broken look in Severus' eyes, he was scared of the thumping his heart still did at the mere sight of the man, but most of all he was scared of what Severus would say if he ever got up the nerve to speak to him.

"You're an idiot and a coward! Where's your Gryffindor courage?" He asked his own reflection in the mirror, getting no answer back but the haunted eyes that looked back. He growled nearly silently and threw himself out of the seat, too angry all of a sudden to sit still. His pacing around the room lasted only moments, for the anger that was so quick in coming was also quick in leaving. Sirius felt drained and old. He flopped heavily on the bed, listening to the old springs creak and whine. "No wonder Severus left…you're no brave Gryffindor…you left all that back in Azkaban." His own whispers faded quickly and the only sound in the house was the distant murmurs from painting down the hall. Sirius fell into a light, unhappy sleep.

Sirius woke suddenly and violently, arms flailing and breath ragged. He calmed quickly and waited to see what woke him. There was another loud thump in the bedroom to the right of his and then the sound of bed springs being sat upon. He stood silently and grabbed the closest thing to him that could be a weapon, a small dagger-shaped letter opener. It was only about four inches long and the pale gold rounded tip wouldn't do much damage, but it was better than nothing he reasoned. He felt naked without his wand, but the Ministry still had it locked up somewhere with all the other 'convicts' like him.

He crept to his door and opened it slowly; trying to reduce the amount of squeak it produced. He was supposed to be the only one in the house until tomorrow, when the Order and kids would show up for Christmas. Sirius stepped before the suspicious bedroom's door and pressed an ear to it. The faint sounds of breathing could be heard along with soft mutterings.

Grasping the door knob, he threw it open quickly and brandished his letter-opener like a sword in front of him. He nearly dropped it a second later when his eyes settled on exactly who was in the room...shirtless. There stood Severus, robes on the bed and black shirt in his left hand, while his right pointed the dark wood wand at him. Slowly and silently he lowered his 'weapon' and took a hasty step back. He couldn't help but take a miniscule glance at the pale, defined chest before him. There were more scars than he remembered, but they suited the man's dark looks perfectly. He averted his eyes quickly though. _Coward_, he thought.

"I'm sorry Snape (_Severus, his mind whispered traitorously)_…I didn't know anyone was to be here…" He went to turn and leave, but was stopped by Severus' deep voice calling him back. Turning, he was treated to the sight of Severus' bare back, the muscles rippling beautifully as he pulled his shirt back on.

"I should apologize Si-Black. I was not expected until tomorrow so it was rude of me to barge in like this." Sirius noticed that as Severus spoke his voice dipped and swayed perfectly around his words. _At least that hasn't change, _Sirius thought nostalgically. _His voice alone can still make me weak at the knees. _"Do you mind if I use this room? Or would you prefer me to move elsewhere?" There was an odd spark in the taller man's dark eyes as he asked this and a wicked glint to his voice. If Sirius didn't know any better, he would call it…an invitation. _Does he want me to invite him…into my life again? Why can't he ever say what he means?_

"This is fine if you're comfortable…you can move elsewhere if that would make you feel better." He purposefully used Severus' words against him, trying to gauge the taller man's reaction. Sirius' words had a sudden and violent effect on the man. He was standing barely half a foot in front of Sirius before the blue-eyed knew what was happening. Long fingered hands were cupping sunken cheeks and black eyes were boring into blue in seconds. Sirius felt the breath rush out of his body in a great gust of air and he felt a touch dizzy. He had nearly forgotten how potent having that dark gaze directly solely at you could be. It felt like every thought and feeling about anything other than the man in front of him had just…disappeared. He brought his hands unconsciously upward, gripping weakly at the wrist of the man holding his face. He was neither pushing away, nor pulling the other man to him.

"I could never be comfortable anywhere but here…right here with you." Severus' voice whispered these words through his splendid mouth and they washed over Sirius like a cool bath after days in the desert. The dark eyes were still drilling into his and Sirius was out of his depth…he didn't know how to react.

"Me neither…" Sirius couldn't believe the words he had just whispered, how vulnerable he had just made himself. _Again! You idiot! Don't you remember 15 years ago?_ His brain turned on abruptly and he pulled the hands from his face. He tore his gaze from Severus' and rubbed his face aggressively. HE felt stupid and weak. Just a single glance and a little confession had him turned into mush. "You can't do this…" His voice was breathless and weak to his own ears and knew Severus understood how shaken up he was. "It's not fair!" His last statement was nearly shouted, shocking them both. It had been achingly quiet for the entire time they stood together, neither getting above a whisper before.

"I know it's not! Sirius…Sirius, look at me. Please?" Sirius looked up, never before hearing the man plead to him in that way. "I know I was stupid to join up…I thought it would save us both. He seemed so strong! He was powerful and charismatic. All the things I wanted to be in my youth. All the things I thought you deserved. But I was wrong. He was crazy…still is." Severus seemed unable to go on and Sirius felt a surge of heartbreaking love go through him. No matter what this man had done to him, he'd never stopped loving him.

"You never came back. I forgave you and you never said another word." The blue-eyed man spoke quietly but firmly. He wanted some answers before they moved on. To what, he didn't know, but they would move on. Severus took Sirius' face in his hands again, resting his forehead upon the tanner one.

"I thought," He began, his breath ghosting over Sirius' lips, "that I was protecting you. I knew that if it came out that I was involved with you, a Black, Voldemort would want you marked. I couldn't stand that thought. Back then, your body was mine and no one else's to mark. Possessive, but that's how I thought of it. Not to mention, I think you are too good to be bowing at that bastard's feet. I was stupid and foolish." Severus gave him a self-depreciating smile and closed his eyes slowly. Sirius could see a raging fire burning behind the dark eyes and knew that they'd be okay. Maybe not for a while, but sooner or later.

"I thought I was supposed to be the Gryffindor?" He whispered teasingly, inching his body closer to the warm one in front of him. Severus saw his movement and wrapped his arms around the thin frame of the escaped convict and pulled him close. They were touching knee to knee, thigh to thigh, and chest to chest now. A slim hand slipped into long black hair and settled at the nape of an elegant neck, Sirius' other hand sliding across Severus' waist.

"Me too." Severus offered up no argument, but merely bent his head and placed a soft, lingering kiss on the lips before him. Sirius felt something settle deep in his soul that felt suspiciously like contentment when Severus brushed his lips again. They pulled their heads back and simply looked at each other. They'd have to relearn things about the other and build upon the trust from their youth, but they'd make it just fine.

**A/N: Okay…did that sound good to anyone else? I think I just fell in love with my own story…Is that even possible? I am so proud of this! **


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